CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Brandeis women's soccer team had a chance to move into a tie for first place in the University Athletic Association today, but host Chicago, with an opportunity to clinch the league title, was more motivated, taking a 2-0 win on Stagg Field. Brandeis falls to 13-4-1, 3-3 in the UAA, while the Maroons improved to 11-4-2, 5-1 in the league to earn their first UAA crown since 1999.

UC got all the scoring they needed in the first seven minutes of the game. Brigette Kragie opened the scoring at the 3:35 mark. After Sarah Loh's pass was tapped to Natalia Jovanovich, Kragie struck a ball that went through the goal mouth and in. It was Kragie's fifth goal of the season, just under three minutes later, Liz Doman emerged from a scramble in front of the net and potted her second of the season. The Maroons controled play in the first half, outshooting Brandeis, 12-2, but sophomore Francine Kofinas (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) made six of her nine saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep the Judges within sight.

Brandeis evened the game in the second half, with shots knotted at 8-8, but Chicago netminder Emma Gormley had six stops of her own after the break to post the shutout. Kofinas made three more stops in the second half. Senior midfielder Ellie Einhorn (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Park) led the Judges with three shots, while classmates Sofia Vallone (Westport, Conn./Staples) and Tiffany Pacheco (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) had two each.

The Judges, the third-ranked team in New England, will look to solidify their postseason hopes in their season finale next weekend at NYU.